Oh my heart is so very very happy, the August Dreaming of Ghibli box is just fabulous! This is the second box out for monthly NPC Crate, each box offers 3 themed candles, an enamel pin and bookmark, all their packaging is ethical and biodegradable too!  Their For the Love of Books box was out last month and I managed to pick up one of their YALC themed candles at the event last month as well as one of their logo pins.  There are still a few of their YALC bumper crates available on their website (which contains all 3 Love of Books Candles and pin alongside of the YALC candle and Logo pin) It’s amazing value at £20.

But onto this months box.  Sadly it got a little spoiled by a pic on Instagram (why can’t people do spoiler warnings when it’s within days of shipping?) but it was only one candle thankfully. The first item is their bookmark which also serves as a spoiler card, this was super cute as it featured the Soot Sprites from My Neighbour Totoro there is a whole bunch of the little guys here and brought such a smile to my face!  The Enamel pin was something very special though.  My favourite Ghibli is Howl’s Moving Castle and Calcifer, the falling star caught by Howl, is my favourite non human character so to have him as an enamel pin made me properly squeal with delight!  I shied away from doing a filmed unboxing this time round but for mine and Little Miss Playgrounds reactions to things I wish we had filmed it.  He is a lovely little guy and I can’t wait to get him up on my NPC Crate pin display.

The candles this month fragrance wise all had a either a fresh fruity or citrus scent, which are my favourites! Howl’s Castle is Yuzu, Mandarin and Grapefruit, the grapefruit really comes through (although I have to admit I have no idea what Yuzu smells like lol) It’s a lovely marbled pink effect and is Little Miss Playground’s favourite (I wish I had caught her on camera when she first opened the lid!) Next is Totoro’s Forest with a mixture of Ylang Ylang, Sandalwood and Pine to symbolise a Bamboo Scent – the pine is a merest hint with the sandalwood really coming through and has the same marbled effect but this time with a forest green.  The last candle is based on Spirited Away with Yubaba’s Bath House and is Lotus Blossom and Orange, you would think that the orange would be the overwhelming scent, but the lotus blossom really does come through on top – this whole set is a real testament to great fragrance mixing. The thing I love most about these candles is the attention to detail.  Each candle has a lovely little nod to the film they are from, Howl’s has a little Calcifer, Totoro’s has a little Totoro and Yubabab’s has Chichiyaku – it really brings the whole set together beautifully.

Such a gorgeous little box and all for £15! Next month’s Theme is Roll for Initiative and is based on Dungeons and Dragons – I think there may be some still available in their shop if you’re quick!